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John entered the cargo bay with a pistol in his hand and a healthy dose of adrenaline coursing through him. The main bay door was open, but John saw nothing out of the ordinary. He whipped around and aimed at the flicker of light coming from the corner of the room.
“I don’t think that would do much against a hologram,” Cortana sarcastically replied as she crossed her arms.
John turned away from the AI and focused on the wide expanse of space looming out the opening of the bay. He saw the brown-purple planet below them, floating amiss billions of stars. He (studied) the area, looking for Bias.
There.
A small sphere was slowly, but unmistakably moving towards the Light.
“Ten seconds until contact,” Cortana announced.
John tucked himself in the shadows of the room. He wanted the advantage over the AI that had taken over their vessel. He patiently waited until a familiar-yet-not-exact replica of Guilty Spark floated into the cargo bay.
The large bay door started to close and the room began to repressurize. John watched as the AI slowed its trajectory and appeared to scan the room.
Not wanting his position to be compromised, John sprung out from his position and held a pistol to Bias’ glowing blue eye. “Don’t move.”
The Forerunner AI seemed unnervingly calm despite the fact that his fate was in the hands of an irate Spartan. “I am not here to harm anyone, Reclaimer.”
“Hijacking a ship isn’t exactly a way to gain our trust,” Cortana said, hand on her hip.
The floating orb made his way to the front of Cortana. “Oh dear, the damage to your construct is far worse than I anticipated.” A beam of light shot from his mechanical eye, hitting Cortana.
John grabbed him, pulling him away from the AI. “Leave her alone,” he growled.
“I am trying to help your Construct.” He struggled against John’s grip. “There isn’t much time to save her!”
Cortana rolled her eyes. “Oh, now you’re a hero, huh?”
John heard the door open from behind him and turned to face it, keeping his firm hold on Bias. Captain Keyes and Doctor Halsey walked into the room.
“Let him go, Chief.”
John reluctantly released the AI who floated back to Cortana. This time, however, he did not attempt to activate the beam.
Keyes walked up to the AI. “Get your systems off my ship. Now.”
Bias turned and faced the captain. “I am afraid I cannot do that.” To John’s surprise, he almost sounded apologetic.
“Why not?” Keyes demanded.
“I cannot leave until your construct is no longer in danger of succumbing to rampancy,” Bias replied, turning back to Cortana.
“How noble.” Cortana’s voice came over their private comm channel. Aloud, she said, “Your help isn’t needed.”
“Actually, Construct,” he replied, floating down to her eye level, “it is. The plan to attempt to circumvent your rampancy is flawed. Implementing my algorithm into your system will not work.”
Cortana’s eyes narrowed. “How did you find out about the plan in the first place?”
A heavy silence settled over the bay. John watched as Bias remained motionless until he finally spoke. “When you and the Reclaimers went to the control room on the newly created Installation 04, I attached my primary processing to your ship’s systems.”
“You hacked it,” accused Cortana.
“I did what I needed to insure your safety,” the AI countered.
Cortana rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”
“I assure you, I only have your best interest in mind.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, the last Forerunner AI we dealt with was a real winner. Tell me, Bias, was he thinking about our best interest when he killed Sergent Johnson?”
John frowned. Johnson had survived the attack by Guilty Spark. He opened their private comm. “Cortana, Johnson didn’t die on the Halo ring. He made it back with us on the Dawn.”
“He did?” she said via their private comm channel. Her voice was full of confusion, but outwardly, her avatar seemed like a pillar of confidence.
“Yes.”
“Great. Now I suppose everyone thinks I have lost my mind.”
“Guilty Spark 343 was malfunctioning,” argued Bias, unaware of their exchange. “Now, please, Construct, we need to act now. The longer we wait, the less data will be able to be salvaged.”
“We’ll take our chance with the plan that we have,” Keyes said, entering into the conversation again. “Now get off my ship.”
“Your plan will fail! Simply using my core algorithm will not be enough to save her from rampancy. Though we do have similar core programming, her system will reject it.” The AI floated to the doctor. “However, my plan will work. I have already created a new algorithm that would allow for a data grafting process, combining the Forerunner technology with your own.”
“What’s the risk?” Halsey asked, looking at Cortana.
“That it is too late for any data to be salvageable. If that is the case, then nothing will stop her rampancy from continuing.”
“And the probability percentage?”
“There is an eighty percent chance she will be able to survive the process, but there is no guarantee how much data will be salvageable. She will--”
“She is right here, you know.” Cortana looked at them indignantly.
John noticed a chastised look pass over Halsey’s face.
“I know that, Cortana,” she said before she turned back to Bias. “We will not allow you to do anything to her until we know, exactly, what you are planning to do.”
Bias considered her demand before replying, “Very well. I will upload the data to your ship’s systems now.”
A confused look passed over Halsey’s face. “We have the system still locked down.”
“Reclaimer,” he replied, almost sounding amused, “I could have overwritten the protocols at any time. It is out of my concern for your construct that I did not transfer myself out of the navigation systems of your vessel.”
Halsey stood there, stunned. John watched as various text and images appeared on the front of the doctor’s tablet. “Cortana should have access to this too,” she said, looking at the information in her fingertips. She tapped in several commands.
John watched as Cortana almost staggered forward.
“I’m alright.”
John looked at her, cocking his head slightly.
“I could see the concern all over your face. Well, figuratively speaking.”
“What do you think?”
She sighed. “I’d say it’s a good plan, in theory. Much better than what Catherine is proposing. But, I don’t know, John. The idea of trusting him is almost impossible.”
John agreed. Their limited encounters with Forerunner AI, most notably Spark, left the UNSC with a distrust that would be foolish to ignore. “Maybe if Doctor Halsey were to monitor you...”
“Maybe...”
She looked at Bias suspiciously. “Why are you doing this?”
“Redemption, Construct. You managed to thwart the advances of a Gravemind. You deserve something for your strength,” Mendicant Bias explained. “They,” he said, turning back to the others in the room, “will never be able to truly understand what you went through, how difficult the temptation to give in was, but I do. And if I, someone who turned on his creators was given the chance to live such a long life, even in my disjointed state, then you deserve no less.”
“This planet contains the Core?” Halsey said, reading the information.
“Yes. The Forerunner once used this facility to create their artificial intelligence units. I have already established a link with the central system which will be used to store your construct’s data until it can be sifted and grafted to her new matrix chip,” explained the AI.
Halsey turned to Keyes. “This could be the chance to save her, Jacob.” The longing in her voice was unmistakable. “We may never get another opportunity.”
“High Command will have my ass if they know I went along with this,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off Cortana.
“Mendicant Bias’ subroutines are still in the ship’s systems, aren’t they?”
John’s question caused all three of them to look at him inquisitively. It was Cortana, unsurprisingly, who picked up on his unspoken idea first.
“They don’t have to know it was done willingly,” Cortana said.
Keyes frowned slightly as understanding dawned on him.
Bias floated in front of the captain. “I will keep my subroutines in your ship’s system until the process is finished, but I give you my word that I will not try to infiltrate your system again.”
“And what if I don’t believe you?”
“If you are trusting me with the well-being of this construct, I would say that your ship is very insignificant in comparison,” the AI replied.
Keyes slowly nodded. “All right.”
Doctor Halsey walked to Cortana. “We’ll do the monitoring in my temporary lab. Are you sure you want to do this?”
She nodded. “I’m not going to last much longer, Catherine,” she whispered.
“I know.”
Halsey gestured to Bias and Keyes and led them out of the room.
John walked across the room and stood in front of Cortana who was sitting down, hugging her knees. “There is a good chance that I won’t survive, but I have no choice. I can feel the redundant data slowing my normal neural processes down,” she replied honestly. “If I don’t make it…”
He leaned forward, invading her personal space. “You’ll make it.” The tone in his voice left no room for argument.
“I wish I had your confidence,” she admitted softly. She looked away slightly. “They are ready for me.” Though she tried, John didn’t miss the look of panic that settled over her face. “I’ll miss you.”
“You’ll be fine.” There was no other option.
With that final encouragement, Cortana faded away.
Chapter 9: What a Difference an Algorithm Makes
“I don’t think that would do much against a hologram,” Cortana sarcastically replied as she crossed her arms.
John turned away from the AI and focused on the wide expanse of space looming out the opening of the bay. He saw the brown-purple planet below them, floating amiss billions of stars. He (studied) the area, looking for Bias.
There.
A small sphere was slowly, but unmistakably moving towards the Light.
“Ten seconds until contact,” Cortana announced.
John tucked himself in the shadows of the room. He wanted the advantage over the AI that had taken over their vessel. He patiently waited until a familiar-yet-not-exact replica of Guilty Spark floated into the cargo bay.
The large bay door started to close and the room began to repressurize. John watched as the AI slowed its trajectory and appeared to scan the room.
Not wanting his position to be compromised, John sprung out from his position and held a pistol to Bias’ glowing blue eye. “Don’t move.”
The Forerunner AI seemed unnervingly calm despite the fact that his fate was in the hands of an irate Spartan. “I am not here to harm anyone, Reclaimer.”
“Hijacking a ship isn’t exactly a way to gain our trust,” Cortana said, hand on her hip.
The floating orb made his way to the front of Cortana. “Oh dear, the damage to your construct is far worse than I anticipated.” A beam of light shot from his mechanical eye, hitting Cortana.
John grabbed him, pulling him away from the AI. “Leave her alone,” he growled.
“I am trying to help your Construct.” He struggled against John’s grip. “There isn’t much time to save her!”
Cortana rolled her eyes. “Oh, now you’re a hero, huh?”
John heard the door open from behind him and turned to face it, keeping his firm hold on Bias. Captain Keyes and Doctor Halsey walked into the room.
“Let him go, Chief.”
John reluctantly released the AI who floated back to Cortana. This time, however, he did not attempt to activate the beam.
Keyes walked up to the AI. “Get your systems off my ship. Now.”
Bias turned and faced the captain. “I am afraid I cannot do that.” To John’s surprise, he almost sounded apologetic.
“Why not?” Keyes demanded.
“I cannot leave until your construct is no longer in danger of succumbing to rampancy,” Bias replied, turning back to Cortana.
“How noble.” Cortana’s voice came over their private comm channel. Aloud, she said, “Your help isn’t needed.”
“Actually, Construct,” he replied, floating down to her eye level, “it is. The plan to attempt to circumvent your rampancy is flawed. Implementing my algorithm into your system will not work.”
Cortana’s eyes narrowed. “How did you find out about the plan in the first place?”
A heavy silence settled over the bay. John watched as Bias remained motionless until he finally spoke. “When you and the Reclaimers went to the control room on the newly created Installation 04, I attached my primary processing to your ship’s systems.”
“You hacked it,” accused Cortana.
“I did what I needed to insure your safety,” the AI countered.
Cortana rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”
“I assure you, I only have your best interest in mind.”
She crossed her arms. “Yeah, the last Forerunner AI we dealt with was a real winner. Tell me, Bias, was he thinking about our best interest when he killed Sergent Johnson?”
John frowned. Johnson had survived the attack by Guilty Spark. He opened their private comm. “Cortana, Johnson didn’t die on the Halo ring. He made it back with us on the Dawn.”
“He did?” she said via their private comm channel. Her voice was full of confusion, but outwardly, her avatar seemed like a pillar of confidence.
“Yes.”
“Great. Now I suppose everyone thinks I have lost my mind.”
“Guilty Spark 343 was malfunctioning,” argued Bias, unaware of their exchange. “Now, please, Construct, we need to act now. The longer we wait, the less data will be able to be salvaged.”
“We’ll take our chance with the plan that we have,” Keyes said, entering into the conversation again. “Now get off my ship.”
“Your plan will fail! Simply using my core algorithm will not be enough to save her from rampancy. Though we do have similar core programming, her system will reject it.” The AI floated to the doctor. “However, my plan will work. I have already created a new algorithm that would allow for a data grafting process, combining the Forerunner technology with your own.”
“What’s the risk?” Halsey asked, looking at Cortana.
“That it is too late for any data to be salvageable. If that is the case, then nothing will stop her rampancy from continuing.”
“And the probability percentage?”
“There is an eighty percent chance she will be able to survive the process, but there is no guarantee how much data will be salvageable. She will--”
“She is right here, you know.” Cortana looked at them indignantly.
John noticed a chastised look pass over Halsey’s face.
“I know that, Cortana,” she said before she turned back to Bias. “We will not allow you to do anything to her until we know, exactly, what you are planning to do.”
Bias considered her demand before replying, “Very well. I will upload the data to your ship’s systems now.”
A confused look passed over Halsey’s face. “We have the system still locked down.”
“Reclaimer,” he replied, almost sounding amused, “I could have overwritten the protocols at any time. It is out of my concern for your construct that I did not transfer myself out of the navigation systems of your vessel.”
Halsey stood there, stunned. John watched as various text and images appeared on the front of the doctor’s tablet. “Cortana should have access to this too,” she said, looking at the information in her fingertips. She tapped in several commands.
John watched as Cortana almost staggered forward.
“I’m alright.”
John looked at her, cocking his head slightly.
“I could see the concern all over your face. Well, figuratively speaking.”
“What do you think?”
She sighed. “I’d say it’s a good plan, in theory. Much better than what Catherine is proposing. But, I don’t know, John. The idea of trusting him is almost impossible.”
John agreed. Their limited encounters with Forerunner AI, most notably Spark, left the UNSC with a distrust that would be foolish to ignore. “Maybe if Doctor Halsey were to monitor you...”
“Maybe...”
She looked at Bias suspiciously. “Why are you doing this?”
“Redemption, Construct. You managed to thwart the advances of a Gravemind. You deserve something for your strength,” Mendicant Bias explained. “They,” he said, turning back to the others in the room, “will never be able to truly understand what you went through, how difficult the temptation to give in was, but I do. And if I, someone who turned on his creators was given the chance to live such a long life, even in my disjointed state, then you deserve no less.”
“This planet contains the Core?” Halsey said, reading the information.
“Yes. The Forerunner once used this facility to create their artificial intelligence units. I have already established a link with the central system which will be used to store your construct’s data until it can be sifted and grafted to her new matrix chip,” explained the AI.
Halsey turned to Keyes. “This could be the chance to save her, Jacob.” The longing in her voice was unmistakable. “We may never get another opportunity.”
“High Command will have my ass if they know I went along with this,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off Cortana.
“Mendicant Bias’ subroutines are still in the ship’s systems, aren’t they?”
John’s question caused all three of them to look at him inquisitively. It was Cortana, unsurprisingly, who picked up on his unspoken idea first.
“They don’t have to know it was done willingly,” Cortana said.
Keyes frowned slightly as understanding dawned on him.
Bias floated in front of the captain. “I will keep my subroutines in your ship’s system until the process is finished, but I give you my word that I will not try to infiltrate your system again.”
“And what if I don’t believe you?”
“If you are trusting me with the well-being of this construct, I would say that your ship is very insignificant in comparison,” the AI replied.
Keyes slowly nodded. “All right.”
Doctor Halsey walked to Cortana. “We’ll do the monitoring in my temporary lab. Are you sure you want to do this?”
She nodded. “I’m not going to last much longer, Catherine,” she whispered.
“I know.”
Halsey gestured to Bias and Keyes and led them out of the room.
John walked across the room and stood in front of Cortana who was sitting down, hugging her knees. “There is a good chance that I won’t survive, but I have no choice. I can feel the redundant data slowing my normal neural processes down,” she replied honestly. “If I don’t make it…”
He leaned forward, invading her personal space. “You’ll make it.” The tone in his voice left no room for argument.
“I wish I had your confidence,” she admitted softly. She looked away slightly. “They are ready for me.” Though she tried, John didn’t miss the look of panic that settled over her face. “I’ll miss you.”
“You’ll be fine.” There was no other option.
With that final encouragement, Cortana faded away.
Chapter 9: What a Difference an Algorithm Makes
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